Vape Shops

Adequate research is not available for medical professionals to determine the safety of electronic cigarettes, but people who have picked up the vaping habit seem sold.

"I have asthma, and I needed to quit smoking," said Megan Sosa, 22, of Victoria, who switched from smoking traditional cigarettes to vaping. "Now, I can walk up a flight of stairs without gasping for air."

Sosa, who smoked cigarettes for about four years, has been vaping for about three months.

The coughing and phlegm in Sosa's throat have lessened since she changed to electronic cigarettes, and she breathes better.

Sosa had tried unsuccessfully to quit smoking cold turkey and with patches. She had also tried disposable e-cigarettes, which did not satisfy her nicotine craving. The longest she went without smoking was a month and a half.

Britnee Proctor, 22, of Victoria, introduced Sosa to vaping.

She began vaping to kick her six-year smoking habit when she became pregnant.

Proctor had tried everything to quit, but the longest she had managed to stop her 11/2 to 2-pack-per-day habit was a week.

She has been cigarette-free for about five months now.

"Exercise is a lot easier since I quit smoking," Proctor said. "I'm not out of breath."

Vaping has become a hobby for Proctor with a variety of ways to personalize the experience. Options range from hundreds of juice flavors and four nicotine levels to an array of personal vaping device styles and colorful lanyards.

Proctor started using e-cigarettes to wean herself off nicotine entirely, but she changed her mind.